1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a switch and strain relief assembly for use with a handle or hand grip of a floor care appliance or the like and, more specifically, relates to a handle, hand grip and switch retaining member arrangement for a vacuum cleaner where the just named elements cooperate to retain a switch and strain relief in firm, fixed position relative to a cleaner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although the use of switch retaining members such as plates and the like that are screwedly fastened to the handle or hand grip of a floor care appliance are old and well known, the same being generally used in conjunction with an electric cord strain relief mounted closely adjacent to the switch, heretofore the mounting of the strain relief and switch has generally been relatively independent. No advantage, then, has been taken of the fact that both a strain relief and an on-off switch are required for cleaner operation so that a cooperative mounting of these elements would tend to reduce the number of parts required for the total assembly, probably simplify manufacturing assembly and lend itself to a clean, effective overall design for the upper end of the propelling handle for a floor care appliance.
Moreover, such an assembly adapts itself to the use of plastic for formation of the hand grip arrangement and the use of plastic and current molding techniques yields a highly stylized hand grip configuration, both pleasing to the eye and much more functionally comfortable to the user. However, adoption of a molded plastic hand grip may make the mounting means used for the switch and strain relief a more critical arrangement. Unless concerned sections of the hand grip are undesirably thickened or perhaps altered in some other way, the use of a multiplicity of screws, rivets or similar fastening means causes too high or too many stress concentration points in the molded hand grip with a resultant less durable more easily cracked or broken hand grip configuration.
The design requirements, just briefly reviewed, are magnified in importance when the use of a rectangular handle is dictated by market appearance requirements and yet the hand grip must be both attractive and totally functional for the user.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a strain relief-switch retention member assemblage where dependence of one or the other tends to simplify overall design requirements.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide direct, close cooperation between the handle, hand grip, strain relief and switch retaining member to accomplish the same end.
It is a further object of this invention to limit, as much as is practical, the use of retaining means that tend to provide high stress concentration points in the hand grip arrangement.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a hand grip, handle, switch and strain relief assemblage where the hand grip may be formed of plastic and thus, both highly stylized and light in weight, yet durable and comfortable to the user's manual grasp.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a configuration of strain relief, switch, switch retaining member and hand grip where the hand grip will mount to and function with a rectangular cross section handle.